Multiple fuse and fuse housing



May 26, 1925. 5

J. TEIPEL ET AL MULTIPLE FUSE AND FUSE HOUSING Filed 0G12. 26, 1922 Aso ,Patented May 26, 1925.

f UNITED STATE-sl JOSEPH TEIP'EL AND WILLIAM r. EXNER, or ST.' LOUIS, MISsOUnI,l AssI'GNoRS To MANCHA STORAGE `BA'JPIIimr LOcoMO'rIvE COMPANY, OF sT. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A

CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE.

MULTIPLE FUSE AND FU'SE HOUSING.

Application led October 26, 1922. Serial No. 597,220.

To all whom t may concern;

Be it 'known that we, JOSEPH TEIPEL and WILLIAM 5F. EXNER, citizens of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful-Improvement in Multiple Fuses and Fuse Housings, of Whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a multiple fuse and fuse housing.

One object of our invention is to provide a multiple fuse of novel construction that can be operated easilyl to bring a perfect l fuse vinto operative position after one of the', other fuses has ruptured, without opening the housing that encases the fuses.'

Another object is to'provide a practically` gas and flame-proof fuse housing of simple design and inexpensivev construction that can be opened easily to inspect or-renew the fuse arranged inside of .the housing. Other objects and desirable features of our invention will be hereinafter pointed out. A

Figure 11 ofthe drawings is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a multiple fuse and fuse housing constructed in accordance with our invention. v Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the fuse housing, shown in Figure l.

Referring tothe drawings which illustrate the preferred Aform Of our invention,

"A designates a plurality of fuses, preferably fuses of the kind known commercially as c fuse links, B designates a rotatable car' rier on which the fuse links A are mounted, and C' designates a pair of spring brushes or contacts mounted on brush holders D to which the wires E- of an electric circuit are connected. The fuse carrier B is rotatably mounted in a housingF that is substantially links A into and out 'of Operative relation-n ship with the brushes C. he housing F may be of any preferred construction, but it preferably consists of' a hollow casting having an opening in its front Wall that is surrounded by a flange 1 through which the fuse carrier can be inserted in and removed from the housing,

and having an opening in its top wall surrounded by a flange 2 that provides access to the fuses A mounted on the carrier B. The openings just referred to are normally closed by caps l"3L and 2a that have internallyv screw-threaded flanges which are adapted to be screwed onto the flanges 1 and 2, respectlvely, on the housing F. By constructing the housing in this manner we Obtain a housing that issubstantially flame and gasproof, but which can be opened easily to `in- .spect or renewV the fuses. In order .to prevent an unauthorized person from tamper- .ing with the fuses in the housing F means is providedA for locking the closures la and 2 in operative position on the housing, the

means herein illustrated for this purpose consisting of a padlock or other sealing devlce H that 1s adapted to be arranged in engagement with perforated ears 1b and 2b on the caps laL and 2, as shown in Figure 3. Preferably, each of said caps is provided with a plurality of perforated ears so as to compensate for wear on the co-operating screw threads on the caps and housing, and thus enable .said caps toalways be set in such a position that two of the co-operating ears on same will line up close enough to enable both of said ears to be locked by a single padlock or sealing device.

The carrier B is normally set in such a position that oner of the fuse links A thereon is in operative relationship with the brushes or contacts C, thereby completing the'A circuit' of which the wires E form a part. When one of the fuses ruptures it is only necessary to turn the 'operating handle G of the fuse carrier so as,v to bring a perfect fusev into operative relationship with the brushes-G. If it is desired to open the circuit the carrier B is moved into Such a p,osition that no fuse A on the carrier will be 1n operative relationship with the brushes C. Various means can be used for indicating the position of the fuse carrier, or, in

other.words, to show whether one of the -fuse hnks on the carrier is in operative relationship with the brushes C or to show whether all of the fuse links are inoperative, but we prefer toprovide the operating handle G with a pointer 3 that co-operates with devices 4 on the outer side of the cap ld to indicate when one o-f the fuse links is in operative relationship with the brushes C and which co-operates with devices 5 on the outer side of the cap la to indicate when all of the fuse links on the carrier are in inoperative relationship with the brushes C. In the embodiment of our invention herein illustrated the carrier B is provided with three. fuse links and the cap ll is provided with three devices l arranged in syminetrical relation with and between three devices 5, each of the devices 4 being designated by the letter F so as to indicate that when the pointer 3 is in alignment with one of the devices 4,' one of the fuse links A on the carrier will be in firing position or in operative relationship with the brushes, and each of the devices 5. being designated by the letter .N, so as to indicate that when the pointer 3 is in alignment with one -of the devices 5, all of the fuse links on the carrier will occupy a neutral position. The fuse carrier B is retained in adjusted position by a locking means which is herein illustrated as consisting of a spring-pressed ball 6 oii the operating handle G that is adapted to seat in one of a. plurality of recesses 7 formed in the outer face of the cap la against which the inner end of the operating handle G bears. l

The particular design and construction of the fuse carrier B is immaterial, so far as our broad idea is concerned, but we prefer to construct said carrier from a. cylindrical core of wood or other suitable insulating material 8 connected to a shaft 9 and provided at its opposite ends with two sets of metallic segments 10 arranged between segments ll of insulating material, said segments lO and ll projecting radially from the core. Each of the metallic segments is provided with an extension 10a arranged in longitudinal alignment with the extension 10a of one of the metallic segments 10 at the opposite end of the carrier. l The fuse links A are dctachably connected to a pair of extensions 'l0n by fastening devices 12 that can be removed easily when it. becomes necessaiy to replace the fuse links. In view of the fact that the extensions l()a are formed by projections or raised members on the exterior of the coi'e, the fuse links will be held spaced away from the outer surface of the core. The brush holders D are oarried by a block of insulating material 13 and are so arranged that the brushes C are in alignment with the two groups of segments l and ll at the opposite ends of the fuse carrier B.i When the fuse carrier is set in suoli a position that the brushes C bear upon two opposed metallic segments 10 of the carrier the circuit will be closed by the fuse link connected to the extensions l0,a of that particular pair of metallic segments lO. At this time the pointer 3 on the operating handle G of the fuse carrier will stand opposite one of the devices 4 on the cap la, thus indicating that one of the fuses is in firing position. When the carrier B is set in such a position that the brushes C bear upon a. pair of opposed insulating segments 11 on the carrier, the circuit of which the wires E form a part will be open. At such times the pointer 3 on the operating handle stands opposite one of the devices 5, thus indicating that all of the fuses on the carrier are in neutral position. The shaft 9 of the 'carrier B projects outwardly through a hole in the cap la and the operating handle Gr is secured to said shaft by a pin or other suitable means 11i, as shown in Figure l, the opposite end of said shaft being journaled in a bearing l on the inside of the housing F. ln order to produce a gas and flame-tight joint around the shaft 9, the cap la is provided with packing rings 16 that surround said shaft.

ln a device of the construction above described tlie blowing of a fuse causes only a moinentaryinterrupt-ion of the electric circuit with which the device is used, due to the fact that a perfect fuse can be brought into operative relationship with the brushes C by simply turning the operating handle G of the fuse carrier far enough to bring the metallic segments to which said fuse is connected into position to be engaged by said brushes. The position of the fuse carrier with relation to the brushes C is indicated at all times by the pointer on the operating handle G, and the cooperating devices fl and 5 on the cap l of the housing, and still another desirable feature of such a device is that the housing of saine is substantially flame and gas-proof, but is'capable of being opened easily to inspect or renew the fuses inside of the housing. While the device is capable of general use, it is particularly adapted for use on storage battery mine locomotives, due tc the fact that it comprises a plurality of fuses that can be rendered operative and inoperative without opening up the housing of the device; the housing is constructed in such a Way that it is impossible for a flame or electric spark to escapetherefrom and thus ignite a gas leak in a mine, and it is impossible for the operator in charge of the locomotive to open the housing without breaking the sealing device H, thereby advising his superior or the person authorized to open the housing that the operator hasy done something which he was forbidden to do. And still another desirable feature of a fuse housing of the construction above described is that it can be opened .a carrier in said housing provided with a.' plurality of fuses, one opening in said hous.

quickly and easily by an authorized person ing through which said fuses can be inspect@ ed, another opening in said housing throiigxh e which the carrier can be removed from t housing, movable closures for said openings, and means for locking said closures together.

2. A multiple fuse, comprising ahousing, a rotatable carrier in said housing provided 4 with a plurality of fuses, removable closures i for openings in said housing connected to ythe housing by screw threads, .an operatin shaftv for said carrier projecting throug one of `said closures, and means for producing a tiglit jointlaroundlthe Vport-ion of the s means co-operating with said operating de shaft that projects through said closure. 3. A multiple fuse, comprising a housing, a 'removable closure for an opening in said housing, and a rotatable fuse carrier permanently combined with said closure and adapted to be inserted in the \housing through the opening with which said closure co-operates.

4. A- multiple fuse, comprisinga closed housing provided with two openings surrounded by externally screw-threaded flanges, removable caps screwed. onto said flanges, means for preventing an unauthor- 3.5 ized person from removing said caps, a shaft rotatably mounted in one ofsaid caps, a. car-v rier-on saiddshaft provided witha plurality of fuses, and anoperating device connected to said shaft at a pointfon the outside of the 40 cap in which the shaft turns.

5. A multi levfuse, comprising a housing provided with externally screw-threaded flanges, caps screwed onto said lianges and provided with means whereby both caps can be locked by the same sea-ling device, a rotatable shaft in one of said caps provided with a carrier, a

Y plurality of fuses detachably connected to` said' carrier, an operating device on said 50 shaft arranged Orl the outside of the cap in which the shaft is journaled, a lockingi" vice to hold the carrier in adjusted position,

and co-operatin ,means on saidoperating device and on t e exterior of said cap for `indicating the position o; the carrier 'inthe housin v g.' j JOSEPH TEIPEL.

' WILLIAM F. EXNER.

two openings surrounded by 

